Parallels in Time
by girl-with-her-charizard
Summary: May couldn't help but think that for some reason this day had been leading up to and preparing her for this encounter with Steven. Hoennchampionshipping, one-shot.


**11:17 AM, about five years and seven months ago.**

"Mr. Stone, huh? I wonder if he's in this cave…There's no where else in Dewford he could be."

The voice emitting from within Granite Cave was none other than twelve-year-old May Maple, staring at a letter addressed to a "Mr. Stone" as she walked. After asking about one million people (or so it felt like to the little girl) if they had seen Mr. Stone, no one had even heard of the man, let alone had seen him around. One fisherman had directed her towards Granite Cave however, muttering something about "A man with the last name Stone is bound to be in a cave…"

May continued to walk through the dimly lit cave, trying to find any human inside besides herself. Unfortunately, she had no such luck. The brown haired girl was about to give up, when she happened to catch an opening in the cave to her right.

"_Better check the whole cave just in case…I don't want to get on that President's bad side," _May thought to herself as she walked through.

The pre-teen's breath caught in her throat as she entered the opening. A stunning mural was drawn (or carved, May couldn't tell) upon the cave wall in front of her. She didn't understand the meaning of it all, but she could tell it was something important.

What also caught the girl's attention was the silver-haired man who's back was turned to her, staring at the wall. The man looked older than her from behind, much older, slightly too old to be the son of the President she had met.

"_Please somehow be him," _May hoped as she cleared her throat. "Um, Mr. Stone?"

The man's body jerked to attention before he spun around, facing her from across the clearing. Now that May saw him, she could see how _young _he actually was. Much younger than what May had first thought.

"I am Mr. Stone… Are you sure you're not looking for my father? I'm his son," Mr. Stone responded in a polite but official tone as he made his way towards her.

May had to look up at him when he reached her to meet his eyes, which were silver, just like his hair, and gave him an unbelievably handsome appearance. _"Stop thinking about that, just give him the letter!" _May yelled at herself.

"Oh, no, I was looking for you. Your father asked me to deliver this letter to you," the girl responded as she held out the letter addressed to him.

"Hmph," he replied as he took the letter out of May's hand. "Sorry you had to go through so much trouble to give this to me… My old man's too lazy to do it himself I guess. Thank you… Sorry, but what is your name?"

"May."

"May. Well, thank you, May. My name's Steven. Have a look at this mural on the wall over there," Steven pointed towards the mural on the wall across from them. "If we meet again, I would like to know what you think about it. It's really quite interesting."

May nodded as she looked past him at the beautiful carvings (or drawings? May still wasn't sure).

"Here, take this TM as a token of my gratitude. It's Steel Wing, one of my favorite moves."

"Thanks," May murmured as she took the TM from him.

May thought she was imagining it, but brushing her hand against his as she took that Technical Machine seemed to send shivers down her spine.

Steven walked past her, murmuring a goodbye as he exited the clearing in Granite Cave.

May stayed inside the cave for the next hour, trying to figure out whatever she could decipher from the mural.

**11:17 AM, present day.**

"To be honest, I'm actually glad that tonight's banquet has a blank-and-white dress code," May admitted to her Blaziken as she flopped onto her bed next to him.

"Blaze?"

"Because I was so worried about finding the right color dress. The dress code made things a lot easier, and I really like the dress I got. Hopefully it stands out from this banquet tonight. So many important people are going to be there. Ex-champions, champions from the other regions, jeez…"

"Blaizken, ken," the uninterested Pokémon murmured in response as he flipped through a magazine that May had been featured in and tried to comprehend what it was saying.

"Thanks for taking so much interest in my worries," the teen retorted as she got up the bed. "I need to leave soon, my hair appointment is at-"

May was making crazy hand gestures while talking as she walked and past her desk, accidentally knocking down a book from one of the shelves. The book lay open on the ground, titled _Legends of the Hoenn Region._ When May flipped the book over to see what page the book landed open on, the picture caught her breath.

A picture of the mural from Granite Cave was on the page the girl was staring at, with descriptions and stories written on the other page. "Huh, it's been such a long time since I've seen this," May murmured as she sat down on the ground and began to read

**12:26 PM, about five years and three months ago.**

Mauville City confused May Maple.

There were so many places to go, so many people to talk to, so many turns that could get her lost! May sat on a bench with a map of the town in her hands, trying to figure out what was happening. Her Kirlia stood next to her, trying to help May solve the puzzle that was the map.

"_Let's go eat first, and then we'll explore the city,_" the psychic Pokémon suggested to the girl, using his psychic abilities to communicate with her through her mind.

May bit her lip as she continued to stare at the map. "Yeah, that would be a good place to start, if I could even find out _where _any restaurants or food courts are here."

The Pokémon sighed, and plopped down on the bench next to her.

"Need some help?" A shadow appeared over her map, and when May looked up to see who it was, she was surprised to see none other than Steven Stone.

"Steven?"

"Hey, May, right? You look a little lost there, what are you looking for?"

And that was how May ended up being shown around Mauville by Steven. She learned about his obsession with rocks (the pre-teen couldn't fathom how someone could be so interested in them), and how the seventeen-year-old was currently traveling all over Hoenn, like May.

This also led to Steven buying May lunch, and the girl protesting that she could buy her own lunch because she had learned prize money from all the battles she had won. But Steven just laughed, "It's my treat, okay?"

Too soon enough for May's liking, the silver-haired teen announced that he had to leave. "It was nice to see you again, May. Perhaps we're destined to see each other again."

"Goodbye, Steven," May murmured gloomily.

Steven turned around to leave, but then turned back towards her, with his mouth open as if he was going to say something.

"What is it?" May asked.

"You know what? It's nothing. See you later, May," Steven responded as he patted her head.

The girl watched Steven leave the city, and for some reason she felt as though he was taking a little bit of her happiness with him.

**12:26 PM, present day.**

"Ms. Maple! Are you ready to your hair done for tonight? You just wanted to have your hair made into big curls, right?"

May nodded as she sat in a chair in front of a mirror, and the woman began to brush her grown out, long brown hair. "Tonight's going to be a lot of fun, I'm sure," the hairdresser smiled at her through the mirror as she patted the teen's head.

May's eyes widened as she felt her head being pat. It was such an old gesture to her. The last person to pat her on the head… _"The last person to pat my head was him…" _May's thoughts preoccupied her for the rest of the appointment.

**2:37 PM, about four years and eleven months ago.**

To say May was frustrated was an understatement. She was beyond furious. The thirteen-year-old girl had been ready to take on the Fortree Gym, only to find some invisible object in her way! The girl stormed out of the city and onto the next route, hoping to clear her mind from the fire that was burning inside of her.

The girl had been busy cursing whatever object had been in her way before she arrived at a bridge, where she saw a silver-haired person in blank pants and a black and purple jacket stood, staring at the space right in front of him.

"What are you doing?" May asked as she walked up next to him, also staring at the space in front of them.

"Oh! May, you scared me there," Steven jumped as he looked at her. "Do you see anything in front of you?"

May continued to stare at the space in front of them, she even tried squinting, but she couldn't see anything. The only response she got was the sound of laughter from Steven.

"Sorry," the boy breathed, "You just really look incredibly serious."

May rolled her eyes. "Is this some kind of joke? There's nothing there!"

"Here, take a look through these lens. My dad sent this to me, but I don't think I'll need it. You can have it. It's called the Devon Scope," Steven announced as he handed over a strange device, which reminded May of binoculars, over to her.

With the Devon Scope over her eyes, May was now able to see a strange green looking Pokémon in front of Steven and her, blocking their way from going across the rest of the bridge.

"It's a Kecleon," May heard Steven explain from beside her.

May stared at the Pokémon for a bit, before Kecleon noticed that May could now actually _see _it.

"Kec! Kecleon!" The green Pokémon exclaimed before running off the bridge away from the duo, and into the grass fields.

"I assume the Pokémon got away then?" Steven murmured as he followed May's gaze towards the fields. "Why'd you let it get away?"

"Easy. It was obvious the poor little guy didn't want to be caught. I would never catch a Pokémon and keep it if it really didn't want to," May responded quietly as she took the device off her head, and placed it in her backpack.

Steven stared at her for a bit with his mouth slightly open and his head cocked slightly, as if he was thinking. It was quiet for those few moments, and for some reason May felt her cheeks getting warm as she began to shift uncomfortably on her feet. "What is it?"

Steven shook his head and laughed, before flicking her head lightly.

"Hey!" The girl protested as she rubbed her head.

"You sure are weird…"

"At least I don't have a weird obsession with rocks!" May retorted.

"_Stones _happen to be must more interesting than you think, young lady."

May scoffed as the silver-haired teen dug something out his bag. "I guess I'm in a giving mood, so I'll give you one more thing. Take this mega bracelet. I know that you've learned about Mega Evolution, so you should already know what to do with this bracelet. Also, here's a Blazikenite. See? Some stones, such as this one, are ones that even _you _should take more interest in. This stone will allow your Blaziken to mega evolve."

"Why are you giving me this?"

"I have the instinct that you're a pretty good trainer, even though you're just a kid," Steven announced, before laughing at May's angry face. "It's a compliment May, don't get all worked up about it. You better kick Winona's butt though. Don't make me regret giving you that stone."

With that, Steven released a Skarmory from a Poké Ball. He gave her a salute, before climbing onto the Pokémon and taking off into the sky.

May watched the shadow in the sky until she could see it no more.

**2:37 PM, present day.**

Walking out of the hair salon, May was greeted by the sunny day. The girl still had a busy day to prepare for the night ahead. She had to watch the curls in her hair so that they wouldn't fall out, go to her make-up appointment, and finally go home to get into her dress.

All of these thoughts were preoccupying the teen's head, before a bit of sunlight hit her in the face that seemed to come from her wrist. Looking downwards, May saw the sun was reflecting off of the stone on her Mega Bracelet. For some reason, the stone seemed to shine more than usual today…

**3:41 PM, about four years and eight months ago.**

May was exploring the rocks and cliffs surrounding her secret base, which she had just relocated to Route 126. The base was located on a quiet shore in the middle of the sea, with rocks and cliffs that were perfect for the secret base that she had in mind-one away from people, one that was hard to find.

The girl was currently looking at a shell that she had picked off up on the sand, when someone ran into her who was obviously running at full speed. May was knocked off of her feet and landed in the sand.

"May! What are you doing here?" Steven stood above her, staring at her with a panicked look on his face.

"My secret base is here," the girl confessed. "Why are you here-"

"Never mind that, come on. Hurry up," Steven cut her off as he grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

"Hey, what are you doing-"

"May! Listen to me, we need to get out of this clearing," Steven hissed as he cut her off once again.

Steven held onto her with an iron grip as he ran, leading them to another side of the shore, and into a corner between two cliffs. He pushed May up against the cliff, and pressed up against her.

"Steven-"

Steven placed his hand over her mouth as he cut her off for a third time. "Quiet," He whispered.

Shouting was heard from somewhere on the shore, and Steven pressed himself closer to her as the voices became louder, trying to hide.

"Where did that kid go? He has to be around here somewhere!"

"Keep looking, we can't lose track of him or else Archie is gonna kick our butts!"

May's eyes widened as she heard the word 'Archie' used. _"What's Team Aqua doing here? What was Steven doing?"_

Steven pushed himself even closer up against her as they began to hear footsteps, leaving May to have a _very _close view of the boy's chest. In this type of situation, from what the girl had learned from books and movies, the boy would begin to kiss the girl when he had her up against a corner. _"May! Why are you thinking of these things right now of all times? You need to stay quiet and get ready in case they come around the corner!" _May tried to scold herself about having these thoughts, but she couldn't ignore the way her heart was sped up and the excitement she felt from Steven being so close to her.

"I don't think the boy's here anymore. He must've flown away. Should we pursue him, or trying going after that pesky girl that's always in our way?"

May's heart somehow began to beat faster than it already was at the mention of 'that pesky girl.' They had to be talking to her.

"Neither. Let's report back to base. Archie's waiting."

The voices became fainter, and eventually May could not hear them at all. It was at this point that May began to worry less about the people on the shore, but instead began to fully take in the fact that _Steven Stone _was pressed up against her.

May's face began to heat up. When she looked up at Steven, she saw that he was staring down at her, breathing heavily, but quietly.

"O-oh! Sorry May," Steven murmured as he jumped away from her, with what seemed to be a light shade of pink on his cheeks.

"I-It's okay," May stuttered in response.

"I was investigating some of the caves around here, before Team Aqua found me and a whole group of them came after me. I just happened to flee the scene and run into you," He explained.

"No, it's okay. I get it."

It was obvious that the situation was getting awkward, and Steven seemed to look anywhere but at her. He scratched the back of his head, and finally looked her in the eyes. He stared at her for a bit, before flicking her head. "See you around, kid."

May watched Steven fly away on his Skarmory yet again until she could see them no more.

**3:41 PM, present day.**

"Oh my Arceus, I'll be late for my make-up appointment if I don't hurry," May complained to her Blaziken.

In all honesty, May was not one of those girls who were obsessed with getting ready for six hours before she needed to arrive at a banquet. However, she needed to make a good impression, especially since there were so many people who were going to be there, and maybe even a certain silver-haired person. That was why she was so worried about getting ready for tonight, even though she hated to admit it to herself.

May smacked her head as she walked towards her destination with her Pokémon. "C'mon May, calm down!"

Her Blaziken paused from ahead so that the girl could catch up with him. When she did, the Pokémon lightly flicked her forehead.

"Is that your way of telling me to clam down?"

Blaziken nodded, before smiling at her.

May rubbed at her forehead, feeling the familiar pain that she hadn't felt since _he _had done it.

**4:22 PM, about four years and five months ago.**

"I-I can't d-do this," May sobbed as she stood on small circular beach in the middle of the sea, above where Kyogre was supposedly located with Archie.

"May-" Steven began as he stepped towards her.

"I can't save the world!" The girl yelled at the eighteen-year-old. "I never wanted all of this pressure, none of it! Where is the Elite Four? Where is the _Champion_?"

Steven stepped forwards and grabbed May by the shoulders. "Listen to me, May Maple. _You can do this. _You are an incredible trainer, with incredible Pokémon who are ready to do whatever they can for you. I can't imagine the pressure you're experiencing right now, but I'll let you know that I'm one hundred percent behind you, supporting your every decision."

May sobbed once again as she stared at the sea that she was supposed to dive into to reach the legendary Pokémon. "No matter what happens, you'll be there for me?"

Steven nodded, and pulled her into a hug. "I promise."

The girl let out the last of her tears, before she felt a light pressure on the top of her head. _"Did he just kiss me?" _May's thoughts screamed at her as Steven released her. The girl was currently caught up in her thoughts over what had just happen, before she felt a flick on her forehead.

"Go get 'em, kid."

**4:22 PM, present day.**

Stepping out of the make-up studio, May wrapped her arms around herself as she felt a shiver go down her spine. For some reason, it felt as though something, like a presence-_or a certain someone- _was missing from the embrace she was giving herself.

**5:30 PM, about four years and three months ago.**

It was done, over. Her Mega Blaziken stood up, panting. On the other side of the battlefield, his Mega Metagross lay, fainted.

May was still in a daze. _"Steven's the Champion?" _He hadn't told her… She had had no idea…

"Congratulations, May. I knew you would defeat me. It looks like you really did exceed my expectations," Steven announced in an official, serious tone as he returned his Pokémon. "Come with me, and we'll record you and your team in the Hall of Fame."

The Hall of Fame had been a fantastic room that took May's breath away, and the fact that _she was now Champion _still hadn't sunk in just yet. The recording of May and her team didn't take too long, and it was mostly done in silence. _"We both must have a lot to think about," _the girl thought to herself.

May was about to leave the Hall of Fame and return to Littleroot Town, when she felt a hand grab her arm.

Steven hung onto her arm as he stared at her. "May, I…"

He didn't finish his sentence, and silence hung in the air as the two stared at each other.

"Yes?" May's response was barely above a whisper.

Everything was quiet as the two continued staring at each other.

"…It's nothing. Congratulations, you're the new Champion of the Hoenn Region," Steven replied and smiled.

May returned a small smile, before walking out of the room. She shouldn't have to worry about him right now, she had other things to think about, and celebrate with her team.

**5:30 PM, present day.**

May was ready. The tight, black dress that hugged her curves with a low v-neck that had white diamonds (fake of course, she wasn't that rich) along the edge was on, her hair was still curly, and the make-up was the best it could ever be.

Her dad, the gym leader of Petalburg City, made a face at how the dress was too low and how it maybe showed a little too much cleavage for his liking, while her mother drooled over her and took a million pictures to show every person in the entire Hoenn region how wonderful her _Champion _daughter was.

At seventeen, May was (hopefully) ready to face the most important banquet of her life.

She released her Gallade, ready to teleport to Lilycove City (she couldn't fly, it would mess up her hair!), where the banquet was to be held in an elegant building. The girl was just about to tell the Pokémon to teleport them away, when her mom grabbed her arm.

"Mom?"

A silence filled the air as the two looked at each other.

"…It's nothing. Have fun, May. Your father will arrive at the banquet later."

May nodded and took her Gallade's arm.

The girl left her house with a strange feeling in her arm, where her mom had grabbed her.

**8:43 PM, about four years and two months ago.**

"Being able to wait is a sign of true love," an old woman murmured as she walked up with a piece of paper and shoved it into May's hand.

Written on it was the quote the woman had just told her, in fine script.

May was confused at how the woman had even gotten into the banquet, let alone had found her way to May.

"Um, thank you?" May responded as she placed the piece of paper into the small purse she was holding.

"I feel as though you'll need this saying at some point," the woman murmured before she walked away and disappeared into the crowd.

May stared after her, before shaking her head. "Elders confuse me."

The thirteen-year-old was bored to death at the banquet. Every couple of years this important banquet was held for all of the gym leaders, Elite Four, and ex and current Champions of each region. May had been told by Glacia that this banquet wasn't important, but the next one would be extremely important, because she would have by then been Champion for a couple of years, and be expected to represent Hoenn.

Tonight, however, Steven would be doing that instead, since she was still a new Champion.

Steven was making small talk with people from other regions, and the only attention May received was people congratulating her on becoming the new Champion. Besides that, no one was interested in conversing with the thirteen-year-old. May had talked to all of the Hoenn gym leaders, waved at her dad, had been teased by Wallace and Sidney about all the "cute boys" that were at the banquet, gossiped with Liza and Phoebe, and been scolded by Glacia and Drake for gossiping. The only person she hadn't gotten to talk to yet was Steven.

For some reason, that disappointed the girl the most. May wanted to talk to him because he actually took interest in her, and he was fun to talk to.

Her Pokémon teased her, claiming that May was "in love" and "drooling" over the eighteen-year-old. The girl had given up on trying to deny it. But, May knew that he would never like her. She was too young, and it almost seemed as though Steven viewed her more as a little sister than anything else. Those thoughts seemed to hurt her more than anything, so May tried not to thing about it too much.

The announcement that a slow dance song was to be played rang throughout the room, and soon everyone was grabbing a partner, and heading for the dance floor. May seemed to be the only one who huffed as she made her way towards the back of the room. She knew she wouldn't have a partner to dance with.

May had been playing with the ends of her hair and staring at her lap, feeling awkward and excluded when a hand was thrust into her face. "We can't have the Champion of Hoenn sitting out on the dance, now can we?"

May looked up and saw Steven, who she had to admit looked quite handsome in his black suit.

She kept these thoughts quiet though, and stayed silent as she stared at his hand.

"Come on kid," he murmured as he flicked May's head lightly and grabbed her hand. "We're going to dance."

"But…I can't dance."

"Neither can a lot of people here, but they're still doing it anyways," Steven whispered as May giggled.

The older teen guided May's hands as high up towards his shoulders from behind as she could reach, and his arms were wrapped around her waist. It was awkward for May at first as she let Steven "lead" (at least, that's what Steven told her he was doing), but the two soon began to talk like old friends. May couldn't ignore the fast beating of her heart, and she cursed the light blush that she _knew _had to be painted on her face.

When the dance was over, Steven kept his arms wrapped around her waist, and it almost felt like he pulled her closer to him. "Are the rumors true, that you're going to the Kanto Region, and you'll only be returning when a challenger is ready to battle you, or when you periodically check up on Kyogre?"

May was stunned that Steven had caught news of this, since she'd only told the psychic gym leader Liza outside of her family, but she nodded and admitted that it was true.

Steven gave a smile that looked sad to May when he heard the response. "I'm glad you're getting to see the world, kid."

Steven hugged her, and she felt the same pressure on her head that she had felt from him on the day when she went to go find Kyogre in the sea.

It wasn't until a few days later when May tried to say goodbye to Steven before leaving for Kanto that Wallace told her that Steven had left for the Sinnoh Region.

The girl's heart broke.

**8:43 PM, present day.**

May was bored. The most important banquet of her life so far, and she was bored. Making small talk with different important figureheads from different regions was only interesting up until a point. Usually the questions concerned either training Pokémon, or how Kyogre was doing at the moment.

Exhausted from conversing, May went outside, onto the balcony that the banquet room had. There, the girl could breathe a little.

"_I shouldn't have hoped that he would be here. He's probably somewhere far away right now, maybe still in Sinnoh…" _May thought as she stared out across Lilycove. She could never get tired of the view, and how the lights twinkled next to the sea at night.

The girl reached into her purse, checking to make sure that all six of her Poké Balls were inside, when she felt her hand brush across something that felt like paper.

"Huh," May murmured as she took out a small piece of paper.

"Steven, you're back!"

May's head shot up from before she could read the paper at the sound of someone exclaiming his name. Through the door that led back into the room where the banquet was being held, she saw _him_. A polished black suit, silver hair that seemed to frame his face even better than what she had remembered, and _those eyes. _May stood frozen, just staring at him through the doors, letting his image sink in, and feeling her heart begin the beat faster. She hadn't felt like this in a long time.

All of the feelings May had ever felt for him came rushing back. She was in love with Steven Stone.

Steven seemed to glance over her way, so May quickly ducked her head to not be caught staring at him. The brunette realized that the paper was still in her hand, and read over the fine script. _Being able to wait is a sign of true love._

"No way," May murmured as she stared at it. "Was the old woman actually on to something? How'd she know I would be waiting for-"

"May."

The seventeen-year-old quickly stuffed the paper into her purse before someone could read it and looked up, right into the face of twenty-two-year-old Steven Stone.

The height difference wasn't so significant between them anymore.

Time seemed to freeze as May looked down, trying to look anywhere but directly at Steven. It was like she didn't even know him anymore. She felt betrayed, confused, and, most of all, embarrassed because of how she felt for him. She knew Steven would never return her feelings.

He cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"Wow, you've grown. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"_You have to respond to that, don't be awkward!" _May's head yelled at her. "It has been," she looked at him, "How was Sinnoh?"

A shrug. "Eh, it was fun to explore, but I think I like Hoenn better, to be honest. And Kanto?"

"I love it there. So many people to meet and places to go."

Steven smiled at that, "I should have known you'd like Kanto, kid."

May smiled as she heard a little of his old banter in the response.

Her smile died away though, and silence filled the air, making May uncomfortable.

"So-" they both began.

"You go first," May quickly whispered after that. She didn't want to be the first to say anything, in case she'd regret it.

Steven sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "May, I'm sorry that I never told you I was leaving. I _know _I should have said goodbye."

"Then why didn't you?" May asked bravely.

"It… I was scared."

May stared at him, with confusion written on her face.

"I was scared at how you might have reacted. You were so young, so new to the whole job of being Champion, and I knew it was my job to guide you. But…When I heard you were leaving for Kanto and only returning when there were challengers and to check on Kyogre because you wanted to see the world, I was scared to tell you because I didn't think you would care. I thought you would forget about me as soon as you left Hoenn."

"Steven… That's not true at all."

"Then why didn't you tell me you were leaving for Kanto?" He shot back.

"I had just decided to leave Hoenn, and I didn't think the banquet was the right time! I went looking for you a few days later, only to have _Wallace _tell me that you had already left! Wallace, of all people, because _you _couldn't tell me yourself!" May exclaimed. She was angry. Angry with herself for not telling him sooner, and angry with Steven for never telling her that he was leaving as well.

Steven sighed as he closed his eyes. "I just wanted to do what was best for you."

"Then you should have told me."

"Alright! I get that, okay? The guilt ate away at me while I was in Sinnoh, to the point where I had Wallace keep tabs on your and periodically tell me how you were doing."

May went silent and stared at the man.

"…Shoot. That sounds wrong, I know," Steven's eyes widened as he quickly tried to explain. "Listen, I just, I…I wanted to know how you were doing."

"So _that's _why Wallace started to become really friendly and always talking to me!" May exclaimed.

Steven smirked and shook his head.

"Listen, Steven, I'm glad you told me this, but I'm still confused about one thing. Why were you so concerned with me? You've always been like that, even when I was really young, and I've never been able to figure it out… Am I like a sister to you?"

This was it. May was as ready as she could possibly be to face whatever Steven was about to respond with.

He was quiet for a moment, opening and closing his mouth, as if debating how he should respond.

"At first I asked myself that too. Why was I, eighteen-year-old Steven Stone, worried about a thirteen-year-old? But, I found myself wondering how you were doing, and where you were. As time passed by, it got worse. By the time you became Champion, I was worried about how often you came into my thoughts. I needed to get away from you, to somehow get you off my mind, but I just _couldn't. _I couldn't say anything to my friends about my predicament, since it was weird for me, being an eighteen-year-old, who was constantly thinking of a thirteen-year-old girl, so I didn't talk about it with anyone. Eventually I decided that I needed space away from you, and when I heard that you were leaving for Kanto, I decided that I would leave for Sinnoh, and try to get you off my mind."

May stared at Steven, who was now looking anywhere but at her.

Steven took a deep breath and made eye contact with May, before continuing. "Basically, I tried a couple of years to forget about you, but that didn't work, so I decided to return to Hoenn. I needed to see you. And here we are, at this banquet. I guess, to sum it all up, I was scared of what you and other people would think if I revealed that I liked you since there's a five year age difference between us… But, I've grown up now, and I can tell you have too. Now, I can honestly tell you, May Maple, that I'm in love with you."

May stared at the man in front of her, not saying anything.

"Uh, May?"

No response. May felt like she was in a trance.

Steven chuckled nervously before stepping closer to her. "I'm hoping you're not saying anything out of shock and because you feel the same way…Perhaps I'll get an answer by doing this."

Steven's eyes closed and he bent forwards. One of his hands lifted up the girl's chin, and soon something warm was pressed against May's lips. It was only for a couple seconds, before the warmth was gone, and so was the hand. Steven stayed close to May though, their noses almost touching.

May flung her arms around Steven, and she felt like her trance had been broken. The heartbreak, the agonizing thoughts, they were all gone, erased. "I've been in love with you ever since I was twelve, Mr. Steven Stone," May whispered.

Steven chuckled and returned the hug. "Are you ready to face the press? I'm assuming we'll be quite the gossip topic for a while."

May released her grip a bit so that she could look Steven in the face. "I've faced Team Aqua, and Kyogre. I've saved the world, and Hoenn knows that. I think I can handle the press," the girl dead-panned.

When they kissed again, it was May who initiated the act.

When the duo returned to the banquet room holding hands, May couldn't help but think that for some reason this day had been leading up to and preparing her for this encounter with Steven.

* * *

><p>Hello, this is girl-with-her-charizard! Since it's a new year, I've finally decided to start posting on this site. So, I decided to begin by writing this little one-shot for Hoennchampionshipping. Since I recently played Alpha Sapphire, I've gotten back into this shipping.<p>

Note: This story is loosely based on Alpha Sapphire, since Kyogre is in it. Besides that, I've changed the encounters and added/deleted some between Steven and May. Also, it doesn't follow the exact dialogue from the game.

Thank you so much for reading, and please rate and review. It'll really help me as I begin to use this site.


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